Rescued By Time

By Aditya Parakala

A family driving through the eastern ghats of India on a holiday trip suddenly find themselves entrapped in a strange place with strange people. With almost no resources at their disposal they need to rediscover themselves inorder to survive their predicament. A story about adventure, humour, incredible perseverance and rediscovery of oneself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aditya Parakala
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798201033408

Book preview

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Dreams float around everywhere. Some are our own. Some are absorbed from our loved ones and some belong to the society in general. It is these dreams that direct the course of our lives. As far as I can remember, the only self evolved dream that I have had, has been to tell a story that had formed in my mind, to the best of my ability.

After the long thoroughly enjoyable five and a half years journey of writing this book in parks, beaches, trains, metros, flights and of course my bedroom,  I am surprised at the fact that I am relatively calm as I write these final lines before handing over this creation of mine to the world. I now truly understand the saying ‘Happiness of reaching any goal lies in the journey, not in the destination’.

Hope the amount of time the readers spend on this book gives them as much gratification as it gave me in writing it.

Aditya Parakala

Hyderabad

Oct 2019

INDEX

CHAPTER 1 – THE BEGINNING  

CHAPTER 2 – THE JOURNEY  

CHAPTER 3 – PAST BECOMES PRESENT 

CHAPTER 4 – SETTLING DOWN  

CHAPTER 5 – COMFORT AT LAST  

CHAPTER 6 – THE WEDDING  

CHAPTER 7 – THROUGH THE WARP  

CHAPTER 8 – A COUPLE’S DECISION  

CHAPTER 9 – GOING HOME  

CHAPTER 1 – THE BEGINNING

March 1914

The bright afternoon summer sun bore down relentlessly over the hill as a herd of goats grazed on its eastern slope. The small hill was slightly out of line amongst the Eastern Ghats that marched in close order formation from the ‘Madras Presidency’ in the south to the state of Bengal up north, guarding the coast line of India. The eastern side of the hill was rocky and bare, with only patches of vegetation and one lone Neem tree to cover its modesty. The western side was however dense and dark with trees and shrubs. Anjayya, the goatherd sat in the shade of the lone Neem tree leaning against the trunk. He was fifteen years old and his head was tied in a small turban while his thin body was bare except for the loin cloth that was pulled up his knees. His eyes lazily followed the movements of each of the goats as they went about their business in an unhurried manner. He preferred to let them graze on this side of the hill as it was easier to spot them. With smooth boulders the hill provided a bird’s eye view of the entire slope below. He turned to his right and saw a distant dark cloud moving northwards. Anjayya looked at the cloud with surprise as it was the spring season and the tropical summer was on its way. He got up from his seat and made a mental note of the number of his goats. He then started climbing up the hill to get a better view of the cloud. After twenty minutes of half walking and running, he reached the top of the hill and flopped down to catch his breath, his heavy panting seeming to reverberate over the stones. The dark cloud looked like a heavy suspended hill, casting shadows over the ghats and moving fast towards him. Rain from a cloud of that size could drench the hill and make the ground very slippery. His goats looked like tiny black, white and brown dots over the stony surface. In the distance he could see his sleepy village of Hanumooru. The houses looked like match boxes. The well in his house had been running low for some weeks. This cloud seemed capable of filling it up. He decided to go home and inform his father about the cloud, and keep some of the grass and the clothes from getting wet. He started running down the slope towards his goats. He reached the Neem tree, picked up his stick, and started calling out and herding his goats. He gathered all of them and counted them. There were forty two in all which meant that one was missing. He looked around but there was no other goat in the vicinity. They seemed to be all there but he rarely made a mistake in counting. It was too late to count them again. He yelled out marching orders to the goats and slapped the ground with his stick. The rain had started coming down in big drops, darkening and wetting the stones and boulders on the southernmost tip of the hill. Just then he heard a muffled call that sounded like a goat from behind the boulders. Seeing that the rest of them had started prancing at a brisk pace towards the village, he quickly ran up towards the source of the call. He reached a stretch of smooth grass behind the boulders and stood listening where the calls seemed to come out. Just then a goat leaped out of thin air and landed right in front of him. Anjayya screamed out in terror and fell back. Terrified by the scream, the goat turned around and ran into the grass. It had barely taken three springs when it again disappeared into thin air. Anjayya gaped blankly at the place where the goat had been sucked up into invisibility. A cold shrill fright ran through him. He got up shivering from head to foot and started running down the hill. He did not stop until he reached home.

****

By evening, the incident had spread around the small village and became the topic of discussion. Different people came up with different versions, some in favour of Anjayya and some against him. His father was however furious on having lost one precious goat and slapped him for his carelessness. He even instructed Anjayya’s mother to not serve any food for a day. All the pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears. His explanation of the dark cloud only added to people’s suspicions as there had been no heavy rain in the village. It had drizzled for a few minutes on the hill and stopped which was unnoticed by the villagers as they were in the middle of their afternoon siesta. Anjayya grew tired of giving explanations and decided to keep away from all human presence. He stole into the house, took a blanket and walked out to the haystacks across the street which was near to the last house in the village. He loved to lie down in the hay during winters. Even though it was spring and the hay was warmer he still stuck to his habit. He lay down and noticed that it was damp. For a moment he felt like calling out to his father and showing the damp hay and convince him about the rain. He then realised that his stubborn father would not listen to him and kept still. He watched the lamps go out one after the other in the houses. He rewound the events of the afternoon in his mind for the umpteenth time. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that the goat had indeed disappeared right in front of him. He rolled to his right towards the hill and looked at it with disdain. He could make out the dark outline of the peak and the sway of the few trees that stood on its bare side in the night’s breeze. His father had forbidden him from taking the goats to graze on it. A wild thought crept into his mind. What if he went up the hill, found his goat and thrust it into his father’s arms. That would be a victory beyond any other. He looked around the street and saw that it was deserted. The afternoon’s fright had run its course and Anjayya was more inquisitive than ever. He walked back to his house and reached for a lamp hanging on the thatched roof of the pyol. He went to the backyard and fetched his father’s machete lying in a corner.

The hill looked creepy in the darkness as he started walking towards it. On reaching the foot of the hill, he slowed down his pace and started climbing up. He knew this side of the hill like the palm of his hand but a false step in the darkness could result in a couple of broken bones. Suddenly there was a distant sound from up the hill which gave him goose bumps all over. It was a high pitched sound, almost exactly the same as a goat call. He walked on with renewed enthusiasm keeping the lamp as low as possible looking out for any snakes near the rock crevices. After nearly half an hour of climbing, he reached the Neem tree near the boulders where the goat had disappeared in the afternoon. Another call came from the direction of the boulders a few feet away. This time it sounded painful and louder than before. Gulping hard, he crossed the boulders onto the soft grass and held up his lamp. There was nothing in the vicinity. He could only see the sway of shrubs nearby. Some of the fright was starting to return to him but the insults and reprimands of his father were fresh and he wanted to prove that he was not wrong. He sat down on the grass holding up his lamp for a long time as his heart pounded like a hammer in his chest, trying to make logical sense of the situation while his unseasoned mind conjured up many devilish conspiracies of demons and black wizards ready to lure him into some trap and take him away as a slave. The calls were however starting to get longer and more frequent and the more he heard the more he felt convinced that it was indeed his lost goat calling out in pain. After a few minutes curiosity got the better of him. He got up chanting the name of Lord Hanuman and started walking towards the invisible calls with slow deliberate steps without making any sound. Suddenly his body felt like it had become weightless and simultaneously his feet felt the soft touch of the grass change to a hard rough rock. He lowered his lamp to the ground. It illuminated a black coarse surface with small stones that seemed to have been stuck together. It was however very even and seemed to have been a paved path. He ran his toe along the surface and realized that he had never touched this kind of a surface before. This was surprising as the hill was known to him since childhood and he had never seen this kind of surface before. Moreover all the plants and shrubs seemed to have vanished to give way to this mysterious path. There was a dark outline of some structure at the top of the hill. He turned back to see if the Neem tree was still there and was overjoyed to see it standing as strong as ever. Keeping an eye on it, he continued walking in the direction of the calls when he saw something shining at a distance of some 20 feet.  He slowly made his way towards it one step at a time when it moved. In the light of his lamp he could make out the shining eyes and the outline of a goat’s head. Seeing the light the goat let out a frightened call and tried to get up and run. Anjayya was gripped with an impulse to run after the goat and catch it but checked himself. He slowly inched towards it, taking a hard look around in the little light of the lamp. The goat however seemed to be in discomfort and limped a few feet before stopping and looking back. He could then see the full outline and body of the goat and recognized it as one of his own. He quickly tied his machete to his waist, ran to the goat and picked it up. There was a gash on its front right leg. He lay it down and examined it with his lamp. It was not a very deep wound. ‘It must have fallen down and injured itself while trying to run away from me in the afternoon’ thought Anjayya. The dark rough path seemed to stretch beyond a corner and the boy had a burning desire to explore it. Finally recognizing the boy, the goat snuggled up to his leg. He picked it up and walked back the same way he came. This time his step was more firm and he decided to explore the path in the morning. The goat wriggled in his hands as the mysterious feeling of weightlessness was felt for the briefest of moments as they walked out of the boulders to the Neem tree. On reaching home, he went around to the backyard of the house and laid down his goat on the soft grass a few feet away from the rest. He fetched some turmeric from his house, cleaned the wound, applied some wet turmeric and tied it with a cloth. Feeling the initial burn the goat cried out a little but the boy was not particularly worried about his parents waking up. He wound his turban cloth and put it under his head as a pillow and lay down on the backyard pyol still wondering about the mysterious dark path on the hill.

Some sharp sound made Anjayya wake up with a start and looked at his goat. It was trying to reach the leaves of the nearest plant a few feet away. The bells on the bullock jingled loudly as it flexed it’s neck. His father was leaving the village to fetch some dry hay for the buffaloes. The boy got up from his place and walked round to the front of the house where his father was perched on the bullock cart with a whip.

After I come back, I will gather some men and go to the hill to find the goat His father was saying to his mother who was sitting on the front pyol.

There is no need for that. said Anjayya.

YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. WAS THE BEATING YESTERDAY NOT ENOUGH? thundered his father whirling the whip menacingly. His mother gestured to him to keep quiet.

I brought the goat from the hill last night. It is tied in the backyard. Come I will show you. He said walking towards the backyard.

His father stopped whirling his whip and looked at his wife. Even though his parents found it hard to believe, his conviction drew them to follow him mutely. Anjayya untied the goat and brought it forward. He realized that his father was looking at him rather than at the goat.

Where did you find him? asked his mother.

The boy recounted his nocturnal ordeal. Both his parents stared at him with open mouths. Finally his mother spoke up.

Why did you go in the night? What if something bad had happened to you?

Nobody believed me yesterday so I thought I should get him back to prove it. Said the boy looking at his father from the corner of his eye.

I never asked you to go there in the night. I was anyways planning on taking some men today. His father replied loudly yet defensively.

YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY SON. Shrieked the boy’s mother shielding him like a lioness protecting her cubs.

Thank God he came back to me safe. You hit him and humiliated him in front of everyone yesterday. It is you who will not get any food today. She was nearly in tears as she finished her verbal attack and held her son to herself and led him into the house. Her husband looked at their retreating figures guiltily and realized that it was best to stay away from both of them for some time. He was however proud of his son. It scared him to look at the hill during the nights and he would never have had the courage to venture out in the darkness. However one thing was for sure, the boy’s tale of the previous day was indeed true and he wanted to look at the strange phenomenon himself. He called his neighbours, most of who were his childhood friends and proudly recounted the story to them. In an hour’s time the house was teaming with visitors. Anjayya and the goat were brought to the front yard and the visitors were lined up to see them one after the other. The women pulled at the boy’s cheeks and the other children stared at him with respect. The news reached the village elders and they summoned the boy to the ancient Banyan tree in the middle of the village which had a circular pyol built around its mighty trunk. This tree served as the village panchayat’s meeting place and all the important discussions were held by the elders here. Anjayya was dressed in his best clothes and was taken to the panchayat in a big group of followers and admirers. On recounting the tale, the elders decided that the matter be investigated immediately and chose half a dozen of the strongest men to accompany them to the hill. A team of nine men including the boy’s father, with the boy leading the way started climbing the hill. The men were carrying long sticks. The children of the village even though held at bay by the elders, lagged behind the group calling out ‘Anjayya’ trying to get a piece of the action. Anjayya proudly walked straight to the Neem tree. He then turned north, took ten steps to reach the boulders, looked down and felt the trail of damp grass with his feet and started walking around the boulders. After crossing the boulders he again came upon the grass which had now widened into a triangular lawn and walked straight. No sooner had he taken 5 steps on the lawn that he disappeared out of sight. The men behind him let out a gasp and stood rooted to their places. Anjayya’s father was the first one to recover from the shock. He gathered his courage and slowly inched towards the spot where his son had just disappeared and called out his name Anjayyaaaaa. Suddenly Anjayya appeared in front of him out of thin air. His father fell back holding his chest. The rest of the men looked at Anjayya with eyes full of terror. Even the strongest of them seemed ready to flee and looked for some hint from others. Amused, the boy helped his father up and led him through the grass. The familiar feeling of weightlessness was felt and the ground below changed to the black hard surface that Anjayya had seen before. They both turned backwards and saw the terrified faces of the 8 men behind them. His father beckoned to them to follow but the men just stared blankly. They can’t see us said Anjayya laughing loudly. Hearing the laughter, one after the other the men started moving forward and froze at the sight of the father and son standing there. Anjayya showed the place where he had found the goat the previous night. They turned around to see that the boulders and the Neem tree stood exactly where they remembered them to be. Only the sight in front of them had changed. They all bent down on the ground and felt the hard rough surface with their hands. It appeared to be a neat pattern of black stones cut in small cubes of similar size. They seemed to have been stuck together to create the hard surface. The men picked up a few scattered stones and put them in their waistbands.

What is that? One of the men pointed to the top of the hill.

A large structure was built on the top of the hill which looked like a temple.

The boy started walking up the path towards the temple. All the men were sweating profusely due to the hike as the heat seemed to have increased on the hill which seemed to reflect and emanate from the black path. The men who were bare foot were almost jumping up and down with burnt feet. Let’s go down the hill on the path and see where it ends. Anjayya said his face screwed in concentration. I wanted to see where this leads to yesterday but it was too dark he completed.

No wait. We have known this hill since we were born. We must have been through this very place a thousand times but have never come across this path or seen that temple. Added to that, the heat seems unnatural ever since we found this path. I do not know if this is the work of some angel or demon but I feel that we should go back, observe the strange spot which sucks you into this foreign place a few more times. Said the Village Munasib (Village official). The other men agreed to this, especially the bare footed ones dancing around. Anjayya quickly ran down to the edge of the hill and peered over. The path wound down the side of the hill. It looked like a giant snake coiling around the northern side of the hill and seemed to stretch to the bottom. They all started walking backwards towards the Neem tree, Anjayya had to follow them with a dejected look. None of them looked back till they reached the Neem tree. Once the nine men and Anjayya reached the Neem tree, they looked back beyond the boulders. The path was nowhere to be seen. In its place the usual shrubs and plants waved at them in the breeze.  The men proceeded towards the banyan tree to report their experiences.

The villagers sitting at the banyan tree were surprised to see the 9 drenched and shaken men come back so early. The men flopped down at the nearest possible seats and gulped down water from 3 coconuts each. Only the boy seemed to have been unaffected by the expedition. The men quickly recounted the experience in great detail including a generous eulogy for Anjayya.

This all looks really mysterious. It was very wise of us to return from there without exploring the path. said the Munasib defending his decision lest someone called him a coward.

There are some mysterious forces there which we do not understand. Some evil power is at play which is tricking us into that godforsaken place. We must thank god that nothing happened to that poor child who went up that hill in the night. said one of the old ladies looking at Anjayya.

It was almost noon and the elders decided to have a private discussion in the evening at the same place. The gathering departed for lunch.

Anjayya’s mother had prepared a sumptuous meal marking his safe return. He lay down on the cot which was usually reserved for his father and fell asleep. In the evening he was woken up by his friends who had come to tell him that the elders had gone up the hill. His mother had however, forbade him to go up the hill without her permission. He therefore took his friends to the Rama temple and they sat down in a corner discussing the hill. Just then they heard Anjayya’s name being called out. He went out to see his father looking for him up and down the street. On seeing the boy, his father said Quick let’s go up the hill he said almost out of breath.

What happened? asked Anjayya alarmed.

We are not able to find the path. He replied.

Amma forbade me to go up the hill again.

Don’t worry all the men of the village are there and I will also come with you.

The boy and his friends ran up the hill as fast as they could. His father panted behind trying to keep up. As they reached the Neem tree they saw a group of elders coming to greet them. At the head of it were the men who were sitting at the banyan tree along with the temple priest and another old man with a long beard. He was wearing a saffron coloured dhoti and had ash smeared on his forehead. It was a miracle that the old man had managed to climb up the hill.

Lead us to the place where it happened said one of the men.

Still panting from the climb, Anjayya walked to the Neem tree, turned north and made the now familiar way through the boulders and onto the grass. He then took measured steps on the grass and turned backwards to look at the group. The men and his friends were looking with unblinking eyes. He smiled at them and said, This is the spot where it happens. He then turned back facing north and took a step forward expecting the landscape to change and the path to appear. However nothing happened. The path was nowhere to be seen. He then walked forward scanning the northern slope of the hill for the path.

Nothing happened. The stones, plants and the shrubs stood there as solid as ever. He turned around in confusion. The elders were watching him intently. Can you see me? He asked. They all nodded in assent.

I don’t understand. The path was right here. I saw it twice. He said to which his father and the elders walked up. He did not even notice them coming. His eyes were fixed on the hill where he had seen the path curve down to. They were silent for many moments looking at the place where they had been that very morning. They all turned round to look at the old man with inquisitive eyes waiting for an answer.

Finally the old man in saffron spoke, You all have god’s blessings shining on you. You might have disappeared along with the path if you stayed on.

The red rays of the setting sun had touched the tip of the hill and were slowly marching down its western length. The old man looked hard at the sun for some time.

One of you climb up to the highest point on the hill and stand with your back to the sun. He said to no one in particular.

The tallest of the boys ran up the hill on hearing this. The group had reached the spot on the grass which Anjayya had pointed out. The old man stood on the spot, faced northwards and closed his eyes. He then reached into his cloth bag and brought out a smooth round pebble. He chanted something in a low tone which the men could not hear and threw the pebble over his right shoulder. All the men watched the pebble rise to the top of its trajectory, shine brightly in the sun’s rays and then fall and roll on the small patch of earth, a few feet away from the Neem tree.

One of you go to the place where the pebble has fallen and stand there with the pebble right in between your feet. Said the old man, reaching deeper into his bag.

The Munasib obeyed as instructed and waited for further orders.

Look up at the top of the hill and tell me if you see the boy there. The old man then said bringing out a bent piece of cane which had a knot in the middle.

Yes, I see him replied the Munasib.

Is he exactly in front of you but obviously a few hundred feet higher?

The Munasib looked at the boy. He sure was standing in front of him. If the boy had been standing on level ground he would have been facing the Munasib upfront.

Yes Swamiji he is right in front of me but on higher ground.

All the men and boys looked at the old man with new found reverence who proceeded to hold the cane at it two ends lightly and let it swing freely. He then brought it close to the ground and started walking around the side of the hill. The cane knot seemed to fluctuate and then oscillate after every few steps. He then placed it back into his bag and brought out a shiny ball of copper which had a long string tied to it. He held the loose end of the string and let the ball drop gently until it hovered a few inches from the ground. He again walked around slower than before. The copper ball also seemed to fluctuate just after every step.

The old man slowly got up from his bent position and stood up straight to face them all. His eyes were full of satisfaction. He then walked over to the Munasib and inspected the pebble that lay on the ground.

What times do the sunrise and sunset happen? He asked

Sunrises at 5 AM and sets at 5.30 PM replied one of the elders.

"It is the Uttarayan Punya Kaal (The holy period of the Summer solstice). The sun will be touching the hill for more than 12 hours a day." said the old man to himself

Tell the boy to mark the spot where he was standing. He ordered.

Swamiji is there some evil force at play? How can we live in peace near this hill? asked one of the elders.

"Even though this is a hilly place, it is blessed with a good flow of ground water. I could sense it by the ancient art of Water Divination. Ideally any place with water should not have any evil forces dwelling near it. You need the watchful eye of Lord Anjaneya. He is the eternal god who still walks on earth. All evil flees before his sight. I suggest you build a temple for Lord Anjaneya on top of the hill where the boy was standing. The rays of the sun shall illuminate his presence for most of the day. Make sure to dig a well close to the hill and wash the Idol of the Lord with its water and drink it as the Tirtham(Holy water). That will eradicate this evil power from your lives. Avoid the hill during the nights. I will continue on my journey next week. I shall conjure up a Yantra (Powerful object aiding in worship) before leaving. We shall do the Pratishta(Installation) with a clay idol of the Lord before then. You can install a stone idol once it is ready." He said looking at the priest who nodded with a low bow.

Within a week, a small temple not more than six feet in height, was built with mud bricks. The old man installed the Yantra and the clay idol of Lord Hanuman after which he continued on his pilgrimage. The village priest put his son in-charge of the Rama temple and himself took full charge of the Anjaneya temple on top of the hill. His new job required him to walk up the hill after the first rays of the sun had touched the temple and start the morning pooja for the deity. Some men checked the spot where the path had appeared on one of their visits. However no such thing happened and this reinforced their faith in the deity and the Swamiji whom they now started believing to be Lord Anjaneya himself. Strict instructions were given to all villagers to avoid the hill during the nights. Women and children in particular were instructed to avoid the hill at all times unless escorted by a man.  News spread to nearby villages and by the end of the month, bullock carts started pouring in bringing people who wanted to seek Lord Anjaneya’s grace at the temple. Bhajans and Poojas were held in the evenings. The devotion towards the temple reached such a level that people started their daily duties only after looking at the temple in the early morning sun. Only one person remained unaffected by all the activity. The goatherd who had discovered the path sat near the temple every evening with his friends who eagerly gobbled the Prasadam(Holy offering to god). He was not interested in the Bhajans, Poojas or the Prasadam. His eyes were fixed on the Neem tree and the boulders near it where his goat had disappeared a month back.

CHAPTER 2 - THE JOURNEY

The pilot announced that they had started their descent into Vizag just as the breakfast trays were being collected.

Sandhya’s skin glowed with an orange hue and her brown eyes shone like polished gems in the sunlight that flooded the window. She turned away from the window and helped her son Kaushik fold the tray table.

It is okay. You can have as many as you want. Sandhya handed out a packet of chocolate biscuits to Kaushik when he refused to eat half of his breakfast. The boy grinned, brownish streaks showing on his teeth and tore into the packet.

Her husband Ravi who was sitting next to Kaushik, looked at her with a slight frown. He had a square face with sharp features and a firm jaw. His face was creased beyond his age of thirty-five. He had a faint gash on the side of his eyebrow which was the result of a knife piercing him when he was a child. He was neither fat not thin. What really stood out in his appearance was his belly. His belly which refused to even make its presence felt all through his childhood and his teenage years, despite the best efforts by his mother to make him plump and chubby, had now ballooned into the size of an earthen pot in the span of eleven years of his employment

What is happening? Ravi whispered into her ear as his son bent down towards the tray table.

What? She asked.

You have been acting strange. Last month, when the dentist told us that his teeth were starting to decay, you were keeping him off sweets and chocolates. Now I see you feeding him chocolates deliberately all the time.

It is nothing. I just realised that they are anyways milk teeth and we can teach him better when he is a little older.

Ravi looked her for a moment reading her face.

What is it? I can see you are bluffing.

Sandhya looked at him guiltily.

Go on tell me. He persisted and she opened up.

Last Monday, Shanti had to leave early as she was not feeling very well. I came back early for him and started cooking his favourites. He ran up to me and asked me to take a leave for few days. I was so happy that I picked him up, kissed him and asked him if he liked to see me around the house. He said that he wanted me to take a leave because Shanti can get some rest from the household work as he sees her getting tired every day. I felt like slapping him. He identifies with her more than he does with me as the mother. He face lost its colour when she finished.

So you are trying to appease him by feeding him things that are not good for him? Ravi laughed out.

YOU are never at home when I need you. I have to play the villain all the time and discipline him. He runs to Shanti whenever I scold him now she has taken my place as his mother. Now with my promotion I will be sitting until late and the little time I get with him will be lost. I am thinking of finding a new babysitter from next month. Sandhya hissed angrily and Ravi wiped his smile off.

Calm down. Changing the babysitter is not the solution. Shanti has been with us since Kaushik was an infant.....

That is exactly why I want to change her. He thinks of her as his mother because she has always been in the picture. Sandhya cut in impatiently.

Ravi waited for her to stop talking, Listen, I am saying that this is a change that is happening everywhere. It is a generation gap rather than anything else. My mother is a housewife and your mother worked as a teacher but her school used to shut down in the afternoon. When you look at our childhood, our mothers were always there when we needed to run back crying into their laps.  Now the real problem is the change in lifestyle. Even if you change the babysitter you will continue to be absent for most of the day. Where will we find a person as trustworthy as Shanti?

Then what is the solution? I am already wracked with guilt whenever I am in office and Kaushik calls me with a fever or a cold. I would have never returned from my maternity leave if you hadn’t taken that huge loan to buy our house. We would have lived easily in a small rented flat with your salary. Sandhya hissed at him a little louder this time.

If you get promoted you would become eligible for taking a part time role right? You can discuss it with that John guy after we get back. Ravi steered the conversation away from him deliberately.

On paper I can take a part time role but this hardly qualifies as a valid reason. John would ask me for any specific circumstances like any health issues in the family. They have not given the promotion in writing yet. With all the changes in the team, I don’t think they will even allow a part time job with valid reasons. Sandhya cleared her throat after speaking.

Has the allergy kicked in again?

Yes. The AC was high in office yesterday. It is high even now. She said looking at the overhead blower

Mummy look at the boats. I want to sit near the window.

No, you have vertigo and you will feel giddy. We have a long drive ahead of us. Close that tray table. We are about to land. Ravi corrected the boy lest his wife spoiled him again.

All the passengers craned their necks out of the windows as the plane flew several kilometres over the ever-present fishing boats in the sea to turn around and make a landing into the Visakhapatnam airport. All the known spots on the beach and the very famous hill of Kailasagiri that had the huge statues of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati lifted the spirits of everyone. Ravi nudged his younger brother Praful to wake him up. Praful was sitting on the adjacent aisle seat with his long legs burrowed under the seat infront of him. He was thirty-two with a plump face and a stubby nose that did not go with his toned physique. Several strands of grey hair showed up in his curly hair even though he maintained a strict regimen to cover them with hair dye. His eyes opened up and he sat up straight taking in the surroundings.

Kumar who was a family friend of theirs came to the airport. He made his unending fondness for Kaushik known by handing him a big chocolate bar which the boy grabbed greedily.

He should not be having any chocolates. Ravi protested first, with the conversation on the flight in mind. He wanted to become the active villain in his son’s life and let Sandhya be the pacifier. He then took the chocolate from Kaushik and put in his pocket ignoring the latter’s dissent.

Kumar lead them to an old but brightly painted blue Ambassador car and opened its boot.

Wow. We would be honoured to get a ride in a vintage car. Praful quipped.

Indeed, you would. The other car had a sudden repair so it had to go to the workshop. So, I brought this here. Kumar replied in the same vein.

You mean we are to drive in this car all the way to our hometown?

Yes. It is in perfect working condition.

We don’t doubt that but we can take a cab. Ravi jumped in looking doubtful indeed.

No need to worry, this car has air conditioning. I changed the seats two weeks back with new foam and leather upholstery. I got a full check-up done before bringing it here. It has never given me trouble. You will have a very comfortable drive. Kumar patted the bonnet, sounded so sincere and a tad desperate to give them the car that they all got in without another word of protest.

They yanked at the handle like a normal car but the ambassador had a button that needed to be pushed to open the doors. As they sat in, a pungent smell of staleness enveloped them. They took shorter breaths to avoid the smell from filling their lungs. Sandhya quickly pulled out her handkerchief to cover her nose lest her allergies kicked in again.

I will drive. I had my first driving lesson on an Ambassador almost two decades back. Ravi took the wheel.

The engine started with a phlegmatic gargling sound followed by a powerful growl. Ravi pressed the accelerator and cranked up the engine before putting it into first gear. He drove it out of the airport into the open highway that was riddled with some high traffic by Vizag standards.

Open the windows. Let the smell out for some time. Kumar suggested after glancing at Sandhya. It felt nostalgic to manually roll down the windows. They drove down the beach road that they had just seen from the aircraft and a blast of cool and salty sea breeze hit each of them in the face. Sandhya immediately let her face out and took a deep breath of the air. Ravi drove slowly making the car canter on its own momentum along the wide road until they finally reached the TAJ residency hotel and he had to turn right onto one of the steepest of inclines in the hilly city. Ravi shifted to the second gear and the powerful engine of the old car did not even feel the need to argue with him.

This is smooth. It is in very good condition. said Praful.

This car is the royal horse of our country my friend. It could negotiate our roads fifty years back as well as it does today. Remember there was a speed breaker here on the wrong side of the divider? This elephant could take that on with more than six adults and a dickey full of luggage without breaking a sweat. Kumar patted the dashboard fondly.

Yes. I remember that speed breaker. Ravi laughed out hard and Kumar joined him.

What speed breaker? Praful and Sandhya asked together from the back seat.

See how steep this road is? Even today some of the old city buses climb up in near zero speeds with their engines shouting themselves hoarse. I once ran up this hill faster than one of the buses for fun during my childhood. While this is the case for vehicles plying up the hill, it was exactly opposite for those going down. People used to shut off their engines and roll down the hill at high speed and try to use that momentum into the beach road. There were frequent accidents as young bikers used to let go of their handlebars and try to perform stunts. One night a huge tanker carrying drinking water lost control and rammed headlong into the sands of the beach. It took a crane to pull it out. As a result, the local authorities decided to put up a huge speed breaker at the bottom of the hill forcing drivers to slow to an almost halt before turning onto the beach road. However the people who did the work were so enthusiastic that they built the speed breaker right along the width of the road, on both sides of the divider. So there was a huge mountain of a speed breaker for vehicles trekking up the hill as well. Jokes started floating around the people living in the area. One popular one was that the speed breaker had led to the death of an old bus that used to ply on this road everyday. A post mortem was conducted on the bus and the reason was reported as ‘murder by strangling of the engine by the giant speed breaker’. Ravi gave out his long and exaggerated narration punctuated with guffaws of laughter.

After a fortnight, workers armed with sharp tools were dispatched at midnight and the speed breaker on the wrong side of the divider was removed from the road and people’s memory. Kumar concluded the story to which everyone (incl Kaushik) laughed till their sides hurt.

Kumar pulled out all the relevant documents of the car and showed it to Ravi. He then put them into the dashboard. They all got down from the car near his house and spent a half hour with his wife and children. They were handed a big towering steel lunchbox despite their protests. Praful moved into the front seat and they were finally by themselves on the road. They reached the highway in less than an hour and started the three hour drive. On the open road the inside of the car turned into a wind tunnel blowing hair, clothes and anything loose out of control even at a leisurely speed of sixty kmph but they kept the windows down for Sandhya’s comfort. The wind kept the chattering to a minimum and Kaushik quickly fell asleep.

I am hungry. I did not eat much on the flight. Can we stop for some early lunch from the food that is packed? Praful asked.

"We are not stopping for food until we have our Darshan(Holy Visit) at the temple." Sandhya said

How long before we reach there?

We have to take a detour from the highway near Yerravaram.  Maybe half an hour. Ravi answered.

Half an hour? Do we have anything light to eat?

Yes we can have a banana. Sandhya fumbled in one of the bags and handed him